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A review by michellesantiago
The Truth About Him by M. O'Keefe
5.0
Originally posted on Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks:
Warning: The Truth About Him is a direct sequel to Everything I Left Unsaid, which means if you haven't read Everything I Left Unsaid you probably shouldn't read further than this paragraph. I'll keep things vague, but no promises. My overall rating for The Truth About Him is 4.5/5 stars. While I didn't give it as high a rating as Everything I Left Unsaid (because that book was something else!) I still really, really loved it. The series, overall, is a five-star read for me. I highly recommend it, especially if you like your romances more on the darker side in tone and the issues touched upon. The sex was pretty explicit too, but nothing weird or crazy.
Okay, if you haven't read Everything I Left Unsaid, read the rest of this review at your own risk, because I will be spoiling it. If you want a general premise about the series please read my review of Everything I Left Unsaid.
Everything I Left Unsaid ended on a cliffhanger--it was basically like a TV season finale with Annie coming face to face with her abusive husband Hoyt in her trailer after she came back from Dylan's house, Hoyt hit her hard and she passed out. That was how EILU ended and if you didn't have The Truth About Him on hand, you're left wanting to tear your hair out wondering what will happen next. The Truth About Him picked up right where EILU ended and holy shit were the first four pages of The Truth About Him crazy intense!
But those four chapters and the couple of chapters that followed really served as a resolution to Everything I Left Unsaid, which was Annie's book. The Truth About Him was Dylan's book. We got to know Dylan a little bit in the first book, but the focus was on Annie and Dylan remained a mystery. In The Truth About Him we not only learn more about Dylan and what made him tick, but we also got his inner thoughts because the narration flip-flopped and we got Dylan's first person POV while Annie's was in the third-person.
In Everything I Left Unsaid we learned that Annie's neighbor in the trailer park, Ben, was Dylan's estranged father. Dylan also has an estranged brother named Max. Ben, a former member of a motorcycle gang, and Max, a current member, both betrayed Dylan many years ago so he stayed away from them and their dangerous associations for many years. Dylan preferred to stay on his mountain and live the hermit life while accumulating millions from his race car engine patents. But Dylan's relationship with Annie brought him down off his mountain and back to the attention of the motorcycle gang. He'll have to deal with his family's baggage before he can find his happily ever after with Annie.
The Truth About Him was really where Dylan and Annie worked on their relationship. If the story ended where Everything I Left Unsaid did (barring the Hoyt cliffhanger), it was just a happy-for-now and it would've been so sad because these two deserved their happily ever after after all the crap they've been through, especially Annie.
The reason why I gave The Truth About Him a half-star less than EILU was because it was missing that extra oomph Everything I Left Unsaid had. EILU had that forbidden element because Annie and Dylan had this sexual thing going on but they've never met each other, only communicating through the phone. And, technically, Annie was married. They were keeping secrets but at the same time telling each other truths they'd never told anyone else. Annie and Dylan had moved past all that and now they're working on their relationship as a couple. But, of course, they both come with extra baggage, especially Dylan who knew that keeping Annie in his life meant putting her in danger. But can he let her go? Annie, after everything she went through, had so much love to give but she knew she also deserved to be loved. She's worried that Dylan might not be capable of loving her the way she deserved. It wasn't as thrilling, but I was still riveted to Annie and Dylan's story and rooted for their happily-ever-after.
As for the steam factor, yep, it was scorching hot. Grab some ice water before you sit down to read because you're going to need it.
Everything in the end was tied into a neat bow thanks to the epilogue, which showed us a glimpse of Annie and Dylan a few years later. And, awwwww, you guys, it made me cry. Dylan and Ben's relationship was so bittersweet. But it was such a perfect ending for Dylan and Annie. There were some secondary characters whose stories were left unresolved, like Dylan's brother Max, his business partner Blake, and Annie's neighbor Tiffany. If Ms. O'Keefe decide to write a companion novel or duology about any of them, I'll definitely be interested.
I gave Everything I Left Unsaid 5 out 5 stars and The Truth About Him 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the series a 5 star overall. Both books were excellently written with fantastic, well-fleshed out characters and an engrossing romance. Romance fans, this duology is not to be missed. I highly recommend you pick up both books and marathon them.
Warning: The Truth About Him is a direct sequel to Everything I Left Unsaid, which means if you haven't read Everything I Left Unsaid you probably shouldn't read further than this paragraph. I'll keep things vague, but no promises. My overall rating for The Truth About Him is 4.5/5 stars. While I didn't give it as high a rating as Everything I Left Unsaid (because that book was something else!) I still really, really loved it. The series, overall, is a five-star read for me. I highly recommend it, especially if you like your romances more on the darker side in tone and the issues touched upon. The sex was pretty explicit too, but nothing weird or crazy.
Okay, if you haven't read Everything I Left Unsaid, read the rest of this review at your own risk, because I will be spoiling it. If you want a general premise about the series please read my review of Everything I Left Unsaid.
Everything I Left Unsaid ended on a cliffhanger--it was basically like a TV season finale with Annie coming face to face with her abusive husband Hoyt in her trailer after she came back from Dylan's house, Hoyt hit her hard and she passed out. That was how EILU ended and if you didn't have The Truth About Him on hand, you're left wanting to tear your hair out wondering what will happen next. The Truth About Him picked up right where EILU ended and holy shit were the first four pages of The Truth About Him crazy intense!
But those four chapters and the couple of chapters that followed really served as a resolution to Everything I Left Unsaid, which was Annie's book. The Truth About Him was Dylan's book. We got to know Dylan a little bit in the first book, but the focus was on Annie and Dylan remained a mystery. In The Truth About Him we not only learn more about Dylan and what made him tick, but we also got his inner thoughts because the narration flip-flopped and we got Dylan's first person POV while Annie's was in the third-person.
In Everything I Left Unsaid we learned that Annie's neighbor in the trailer park, Ben, was Dylan's estranged father. Dylan also has an estranged brother named Max. Ben, a former member of a motorcycle gang, and Max, a current member, both betrayed Dylan many years ago so he stayed away from them and their dangerous associations for many years. Dylan preferred to stay on his mountain and live the hermit life while accumulating millions from his race car engine patents. But Dylan's relationship with Annie brought him down off his mountain and back to the attention of the motorcycle gang. He'll have to deal with his family's baggage before he can find his happily ever after with Annie.
The Truth About Him was really where Dylan and Annie worked on their relationship. If the story ended where Everything I Left Unsaid did (barring the Hoyt cliffhanger), it was just a happy-for-now and it would've been so sad because these two deserved their happily ever after after all the crap they've been through, especially Annie.
The reason why I gave The Truth About Him a half-star less than EILU was because it was missing that extra oomph Everything I Left Unsaid had. EILU had that forbidden element because Annie and Dylan had this sexual thing going on but they've never met each other, only communicating through the phone. And, technically, Annie was married. They were keeping secrets but at the same time telling each other truths they'd never told anyone else. Annie and Dylan had moved past all that and now they're working on their relationship as a couple. But, of course, they both come with extra baggage, especially Dylan who knew that keeping Annie in his life meant putting her in danger. But can he let her go? Annie, after everything she went through, had so much love to give but she knew she also deserved to be loved. She's worried that Dylan might not be capable of loving her the way she deserved. It wasn't as thrilling, but I was still riveted to Annie and Dylan's story and rooted for their happily-ever-after.
As for the steam factor, yep, it was scorching hot. Grab some ice water before you sit down to read because you're going to need it.
Everything in the end was tied into a neat bow thanks to the epilogue, which showed us a glimpse of Annie and Dylan a few years later. And, awwwww, you guys, it made me cry. Dylan and Ben's relationship was so bittersweet. But it was such a perfect ending for Dylan and Annie. There were some secondary characters whose stories were left unresolved, like Dylan's brother Max, his business partner Blake, and Annie's neighbor Tiffany. If Ms. O'Keefe decide to write a companion novel or duology about any of them, I'll definitely be interested.
I gave Everything I Left Unsaid 5 out 5 stars and The Truth About Him 4.5 out of 5 stars, and the series a 5 star overall. Both books were excellently written with fantastic, well-fleshed out characters and an engrossing romance. Romance fans, this duology is not to be missed. I highly recommend you pick up both books and marathon them.